Armors with multiple variants

[Relevant Halo]

I'm trying to work on a mod similar to Break Undies where armor can break down and shatter as it gets damaged.

I'm looking for some armor sets, preferably plated or not casual looking armor that already comes in multiple variants.

One example are the Ninirim sets that come with a skimpy version, that can be used as a broken version.

 

As a side note, how difficult and time consuming is it to modify armors yourself?